Though hardly surprising, the Pittsburgh Steelers received zero compensatory picks for April’s 2025 NFL Draft. The league officially released its list of comp picks, and Pittsburgh was shut out. This was expected after they lost little in the 2024 free agency while making notable signings of their own.
CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones shared the list, showing Pittsburgh coming up empty.
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks to teams pic.twitter.com/dZGtyltMR0
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) March 11, 2025
Linebacker Patrick Queen was Pittsburgh’s biggest splash, signing a three-year, $41 million deal to become the most expensive external free agent in franchise history. Smaller moves were made for the rest of the free agency, inking SS DeShon Elliott and P Cam Johnston on multi-year contracts.
Pittsburgh’s 2024 internal free agents weren’t headlines. QB Mason Rudolph was arguably the biggest, inking just a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans worth less than $3 million. He began the year as Will Levis’ backup before making clustered starts throughout the year, finishing with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. DL Armon Watts chose New England over Pittsburgh but was placed on injured reserve in late August and never logged a snap for the Patriots. OT Chukwuma Okorafor earned the most substantial contract, one-year for $4 million, but started only one game before being benched and promptly retiring.
In addition to hardly losing any free agents, Pittsburgh did not lose any qualifying personnel members to other teams. In recent years, the NFL has awarded comp picks to minority staff members who become head coaches or general managers with other teams. Steelers’ Pro Scouting Director Sheldon White interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders’ GM gig but lost out to John Spytek.
While the team was frozen out of comp picks this year, they’re tracking to receive several for the 2026 NFL Draft. After losing OT Dan Moore Jr., QB Justin Fields, and others, they could receive a windfall rarely seen by the organization. Still, the free agent moves they make prior to the draft and playing time for all qualifying parties will impact the final determination, which won’t be officially known until next offseason. Pittsburgh’s additions of WR DK Metcalf and potential signings of CB Darius Slay and QB Aaron Rodgers won’t count against them.
As is often the case, the Baltimore Ravens tied for the league’s most. They received the NFL’s max of four compensatory selections, their highest being a fourth-rounder. The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins also netted four. The Cleveland Browns received a sixth-rounder, while the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t receive any.
The Steelers haven’t often been part of the compensatory formula. They didn’t receive a comp pick for the 2024 draft, and last received one for the 2022 draft after losing EDGE Bud Dupree to the Tennessee Titans, netting a fourth-rounder. They received another fourth-rounder in 2021 for DT Javon Hargrave to the Philadelphia Eagles. Their highest comp pick came in 2020, a third-rounder after RB Le’Veon Bell signed with the New York Jets for the 2019 season.
